The Chief priests and the Pharisees unite in a plot to kill Jesus, not because he broke the Sabbath law by healing the sick, but for blasphemy in claiming himself to be the Son of God and for raising Lazarus from the dead. They found a worth issue to accuse him of, using the tactic of scapegoating: a hierarchical group of a society, in a conflict situation, decides to blame an individual allegedly responsible for the social, political and religious instability.
That these religious figures like Caiaphas preserve their socio-religious positions and influences, the group decides that “one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” This scapegoating strategy is followed even today by political and religious leaders. But God stands for the Truth. He stands for the ‘scapegoated’ victims. God does not want divisions and violence, instead, He wants a society based on love, justice, peace, forgiveness, compassion and unity. Through Jesus, God wants to draw all People of all nations on earth, to Himself — as one body in the One Lord of all.
The Pharisees and the socio-political leaders were socially, psychologically and ideologically insecure. They felt unsafe, apprehending a people’s uprising against them and the Roman Occupants. There was a sense of future uncertainty about their continuity, control and dominance over the Jewish society. We know well that all conscience acknowledges the truth, the good and what is just. They knew what they ought to have done. Their socio-religious instability and insecurity pressed on them to put Jesus to death and be done with. From the heaven, His home, Jesus who descended to the earth for the sake of humankind, was killed by his own kith and kin. He who became a man for us all, – lived, taught, served and healed – was betrayed, denied, scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, spitted upon, whips blowed, weighed down by the heavy Cross, hands bound, stretched and nailed to a wood, crucified, side pierced with a sword, died and was buried.
A somber Good Friday recalls the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Calvary, inviting Christians to accompany Jesus in his suffering on the cross. No Mass is celebrated on this day. Tabernacles are empty of the Eucharist all over the world. The faithful and all people of good will (People of God), are drawn to the cross, following in the footsteps of Jesus on to Calvary. But, why? Precisely because it perfects human nature through his Passion. As a fully human person, Jesus identified himself with sinful humanity and did not want to die. No human being wants to die just for the sake of it. Rather, Jesus accepted it, as his Father’s will– to take upon himself the sins of the world. He chose obedience to death out of a filial love – an obedience learnt through human nature.
Christ’s Passion on
the cross, led him in the midst of human frailties that destroyed him; but made
it clear that “by his stripes we were indeed healed.” Entering into
“godforsakenness” his sacrificial death brought
“the
divine light to the darkest place”, writes Bishop Barron. His willing obedience in sacrificing his
self, Jesus “reestablished the right relationship between divinity and
humanity.” All
this happened for establishing the Kingdom of God, inhabited by a united people
of good will. The Son Jesus who called God his Father accomplished so, in full
agreement with the Father. As the image of the Father, he executes his Father’s
project: bestowing new life to all. Humanity had pinned their hopes on Him. In facts, he fulfils that hope, raising
humanity up, by falling down and dying. The dormant life-principle inside the
‘seed’ grows by being mixed with the earth, water, heat, air and light, that
together crack open the seed, to bring much fruit. This dying self leads to regeneration – a new
life. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” because this grain
of wheat dies to produce much fruit, by bringing all people where God is. And
Jesus said, “it was for this purpose that I came to this hour”. The enemies “of
this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will
draw everyone to myself.” (cf. Jn12:20-30). In the Gethsemane Garden Jesus prayed
for the strength to fulfil this project of the Father. On the Cross with
courage he conquered death, to give new life to humanity and to all beings on
earth – bringing all things to completion.
God’s work was undoubtedly all finished at the beginning of the world. It was in perfect unison, but humanity failed Him through disobedience. God fixed ‘another day’ for people to listen to him (obey) and reach Him. The covenant of creation, once broken through idolatry and earthly preoccupations, was renewed and sealed within human hearts with a desire to seek intimacy with God, and be with Him forever. The New Covenant, therefore, was established through Jesus’ death on the Cross, extending to all peoples. Jesus draws everyone to Himself by service of love, indicating how all peoples in all times will be able to see him and encounter him. His death on the Cross will bring forth fruitfulness for all peoples. Through his Resurrection, the dead grain of wheat will become the bread of life for the entire world (cf. Benedict XVI, Wednesday Audience, June 14, 2006). God will lift him up and draw all peoples to himself through his Son and in the Spirit, and all nations will experience Jesus through this sacrificial love. From the Cross Jesus draws all to experience God’s love.
Jesus is more than a spiritual teacher. Bishop Barron says: “Something else is at stake in him and our relation to him.” As the Son of God, Jesus is divine. Jesus declares: “The Father is in me and I am in the Father.” So are we. According to Charles Williams, the basic foundation of Christianity is “coinherence,” – mutual indwelling of all plants, animals, planets, human beings, angels, and saints. According to Bishop Barron, the oneness of all sons, brothers, daughters, sisters, mothers, fathers, associates, Church members, is established through the Trinitarian relationship – God, the ultimate reality marked by the capacity for unity by a mutual act of love. Therefore, we all are related and inter-linked. Jesus’ death and resurrection invites us to enter fully into their plural divine-coinherence, whose linking love is the Holy Spirit.
The inner blindness (Jn 9:39) often keeps human race from this union. The Jewish hierarchy presumed that “the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” We know well that earthly nationhood and nationalism are on the rise today. But the desire for an “everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:6) has been there in human history – to be God’s and with God as His descendants. But the rulers and religious leaders have failed to keep this covenant. Kingdoms were divided, people forced into exile, Jerusalem fallen (Ez 33:21), temple pillaged, and kings deposed. Yet, God will gather the scattered children from among the nations and bring them back to the promised land. God will make them one nation. Jesus, the new David, through his ruling from the Cross, will bring peace on earth. God will dwell on earth. He will be our God and we will be his people. There will be one kingdom, one nation, one God, united by an everlasting love.
The new commandment of love, given by
Jesus at the Last Supper, was executed on the Cross. The high priest Caiaphas fail
to realize the truth; he thinks by eliminating Jesus, the problem of
destabilizing the society caused by Jesus, will be solved, and consequently, it
will preserve the status quo. But, we know, Jesus’ death will gather the
dispersed children of God: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). Jesus’ death becomes the key to the Kingdom
of God on earth.
According to Sarah Coleman, the Cross is a symbol of death and life,
hate and love, violence and peace, accusation and forgiveness, sin and purity,
brokenness and wholeness, as well as of gathering to all people to one
community of brothers and sisters. Through it, affirms Bishop Barron, “everything
is gained, destruction and restoration, death and victory. The cross, once the
cruelest form of execution, is now a symbol of abundant life.”
Christ died for people out of a choice made in love. God manifested his
love through human Jesus to reveal his divinity. Bishop Barron says that the
cross was a brutal instrument, through which “the fallen powers of the world
are subverted; sin, death and the devil are vanquished.” The crucifixion is “the
portal to the resurrection” – to a new life, a new humanity, a new earth.
As St. Paul says, we are called to share “in his sufferings and become
like him in his death.” We read, “Though he was of God, he did not regard equality
with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking on the nature
of a servant, made in human likeness, and in his appearance found as a man, he
humbled himself by being obedient to death on the cross.” (Phil 2: 6-8).
Through this humble act of will, God fulfilled the plan of uniting the whole
humanity in Christ. As we gaze at Christ hanging on the cross, let all pain and
anguish, struggles and achievements be seen with God’s lens, that goes way
beyond the perspectives of this earthly life.
God is ever alive and active in creation, wherein no created thing can escape from His grace. God in flesh has uncovered all secrets and has raised up all who have slept in sin. Jesus who died in the flesh, God has freed Him and all those in bondage, and has enlightened those in darkness. All beings, created in His image, are welcomed to live with Him, in Him and through Him, forming only one person, one Body. God has “refashioned our warped nature in His image”, to restore to us the life with Him, for the Kingdom of heaven has been prepared for us all from all eternity (cf. Office of reading, Ancient homily on Holy Saturday).
